Rolling mills



y 1967 H. L. F. BOND 3,319,450

ROLLING MILLS Filed Feb. 25, 1964 r Fig. 2- P15. 1 HARRV 1.. $2332 147' 7' ORNEV.

United States Patent 3,319,450 ROLLING MILLS 1 Harry Laurence Fred Bond, Hathersage, near Shefiield, England, assignor to Davy and United Engineering Company Limited, Shetiield, England Filed Feb. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 347,291 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 1, 1963, 8,308/63 8 Claims. (Cl. 72 -238) This invention relates to rolling mills and is particularly concerned with mills for rolling beam.

Because a modern beam mill has a high capacity, it often occurs that the mill cannot be used continuously and must remain idle for long periods in each week. Bearing in mind the high capital cost of the mill; this is clearly undesirable.

An object of this invention is to enable a beam mill to be employed as a plate or structural mill, when not rolling beam. This entails removing from the housings the beam mill horizontal and vertical rolls and substituting plate mill rolls, which are usually smaller in diameter than the beam mill horizontal rolls. Because of this fact and the need to accommodate the chocks of the beam mill vertical rolls adjacent the pass line, there is difficulty in adequately supporting the plate mill chocks in the housing windows.

In accordance with one aspect the invention provides a rolling mill stand comprising a pair of housings having windows adapted to receive and support alternatively the chocks for two vertical and two horizontal rolls in a first arrangement or in a second arrangement the chocks for horizontal rolls only, in which each vertical side of each window includes at least one recess adjacent the pass line, and in the first arangement the horizontal work roll chocks are supported over their entire height by the sides of the windows and the vertical chocks are supported by the surfaces of the slots and in the second arrangement at least one of the work roll chocks is part supported adjacent the pass line by filler beams located in the slots and having their inner surfaces aligned with the sides of the windows.

In another apsect the window of a housing for a combination beam and plate mill includes, on each side, a pair of slots to receive the forked end of a chock of a beam mill vertical roll, the slots of each pair being spaced apart vertically so as to form between them an inwardly projecting housing part adjacent the pass line and adapted to part support a chock for a plate mill roll.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a rolling mill stand comprising a pair of housings, horizontal beam mill roll chocks receivable in the windows of the housings, beam mill vertical roll chocks having forked support surfaces at each end receivable in pairs of vertically spaced slots in the window sides, and plate mill roll chocks receivable in the windows, the housings projecting inwardly between slots of each pair to support adjacent the pass line at least one of the plate mill roll chocks.

By giving the beam mill vertical roll chocks the forked support surfaces enabling the chocks of at least the lower plate mill roll to be supported without modification of the frame, the mill may be converted from rolling beam to rolling plate relatively quickly and easily.

It should be understood that in this specification the term plate mill roll chocks includes chocks for supporting rolls adapted to roll sections other than flat plate.

The invention will be more readily understood by way of example from the following description of a combination beam and plate mill in accordance therewith, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which FIGURE 1 is an end view of one housing of the mill showing the beam mill chocks and rolls and FIGURE 2 is an end view similar to FIGURE 1, showing the plate mill chocks and rolls.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the housing 12 has a window 13 which, when the mill is used for rolling beam, slidably receives the chocks 14, 15 for the upper and lower horizontal rolls 15, 17 respectively and the chocks 18 for one of the vertical rolls (not shown). For rolling plate, as shown in FIGURE 2, the windows 13 of the housing, the other of which is similar to that shown in the drawing, slidably receives the chocks 20, 21 of the upper and lower plate mill rolls 22, 23 respectively.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the edges of the beam mill vertical roll chocks in known mills are received in single horizontal slots in the sides of the housing windows, each slot being located about the pass line 24 of the mill. As the beam mill horizontal rolls 16, 17 have relatively large diameters, the chocks 14, 15 are removed from the pass line 24 and from the slots so that the chocks 14, 15 are fully supported in the window over the entire height of the chocks. On the other hand, the plate mill rolls 22, 23 normally have a relatively small diameter so that, as shown in FIGURE 2, their chocks 20, 21 closely approach the pass line and the slots prevent adequate support being given to those chocks adjacent the pass line 24.

.In the mill illustrated in FIGURE 1, the vertical roll chock 18 is forked at each side, to form two vertically spaced support members 25. A pair of correspondingly spaced horizontal slots 26, 27 are formed in each Window edge to receive and locate the support members 25; each slot has a horizontal and a vertical wearing plate 28 designed to Contact similar plates 30 on the members 25 and to permit horizontal movement of the chocks in the slots 26, 27.

Between the slots 26, 27, the housing has on each side an inwardly projecting part 31 having a surface 32 aligned with the vertical face 33 of the window below slot 27 and with a surface 34 aligned with the window face 35 above slot 26. During beam mill rolling, each part 31 is received between the corresponding bearing parts 25 of the vertical roll chock 18, as shOWn in FIGURE 1.

For plate mill rolling, the chocks 14, 15 and 18 are removed from the mill and insert members 36 are inserted to fill the upper slots 26, the inner surfaces 37 being then aligned with the surfaces 34 and the faces 35 of the windows. The lower plate mill chocks 21 are then introduced and it will be seen from FIGURE 1 the chock 21 there illustrated bridges the slots 27 and is supported adjacent the pass line 24 by support surfaces 32 of the parts 31, as well as by the window faces 33. The horizontal roll 23 is not adjustable vertically so that there is no danger of the contact between the surfaces 32 and the chock 21 being lost.

The upper plate mill roll chock 20 is supported in the upper part of the housing window 13, engaging as shown along its entire vertical edges with the faces 34, 35 of the housing and with the surfaces 37 of the insert members 36. The chocks 20 are adjustable vertically to permit changes in the roll gap but if they are withdrawn upwardly sufiiciently to clear the faces 34 they are still supported properly by virtue of the insert members 36.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A rolling mill stand comprising a pair of housings having windows adapted to receive and support alternatively the chocks for two vertical and two horizontal rolls in a first arrangement or in a second arrangement the chocks for horizontal rolls only, in which each vertical side of each window includes at least one slot adjacent the pass line, and in the first arrangement the horizontal work roll chocks are supported over their entire height by the sides of the windows and the vertical chocks are supported by the surfaces of the slots and in the second arrangement at least one of the horizontal roll chocks is part supported adjacent the pass line by filler beams located in the slots and having their inner surfaces aligned with the sides of the windows.

2. A rolling mill housing for a combination beam and plate mill, the window of which includes, on each side, a pair of slots forming support surfaces for receiving the forked ends of a chock of a beam mill vertical roll, the slots of each pair being spaced apart vertically so as to form between them an inwardly projecting housing part adjacent the pass line and adapted to part support a chock for a plate mill roll.

3. A rolling mill stand comprising a pair of housings, beam mill horizontal roll chocks receivable in the Windo-ws of the housings, beam mill vertical roll chocks hav ing forked support surfaces at each end receivable in pairs of vertically spaced slots having support surfaces in the window sides, and plate mill roll chocks receivable in the windows, the housings projecting inwardly between the slots of each pair of support adjacent the pass line at least one of the plate mill roll chocks.

4. A rolling mill stand according to claim 3 in which each inwardly projecting part of the housings has an inner surface aligned with the vertical face of the window below the lower slot, and a surface aligned with the vertical face of the window above the upper slot.

5. A rolling mill stand according to claim 3 in which each slot has a horizontal and a vertical wearing plate designed to contact similar plates secured to the vertically spaced forked support surfaces of the beam mill vertical roll chocks.

6. A rolling mill stand according to claim 3 including means for adjusting one of the horizontal roll chocks to vary the roll gap, and including filler beams receivable in the slots adjacent the adjustable roll chocks, such that their inner surfaces align with the inner surfaces of the Windows.

7. In a rolling mill stand alternatively operable for rolling plate or I-section beams: a housing having a window therein; a first surface formed in said windows adjacent the pass line of the mill for guiding the chocks of a cooperating pair of rolls for rolling the plate; a second surface discrete from said first surface and formed in said window for guiding the chocks of a cooperating pair of rolls for rolling the web of the I-section beams; and a third surface discrete from said first surface and for guiding the chocks of one of a pair of rolls for rolling the flanges of the said beams.

8. A rolling mill stand alternatively operable for rolling plate or I-section beams, the stand including housings having windows therein, the windows including first surfaces formed in said windows adjacent the pass line of the mill for guiding the chocks of a cooperating pair of rolls for rolling the plate, second surfaces discrete from said first surfaces formed in said windows for guiding the chocks of a cooperating pair of rolls for rolling the web of the I-section beams, third surfaces discrete from said first surfaces and for guiding the chocks of a pair of rolls for rolling the flanges of the said beams.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 208,949 10/1878 Baldwin 72237 1,865,286 6/1932 Soder berg et al. 72238 2,058,717 10/ 1936 Paterson 72-238 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A ROLLING MILL STAND COMPRISING A PAIR OF HOUSINGS HAVING WINDOWS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT ALTERNATIVELY THE CHOCKS FOR TWO VERTICAL AND TWO HORIZONTAL ROLLS IN A FIRST ARRANGEMENT OR IN A SECOND ARRANGEMENT THE CHOCKS FOR HORIZONTAL ROLLS ONLY, IN WHICH EACH VERTICAL SIDE OF EACH WINDOW INCLUDES AT LEAST ONE SLOT ADJACENT THE PASS LINE, AND IN THE FIRST ARRANGEMENT THE HORIZONTAL WORK ROLL CHOCKS ARE SUPPORTED OVER THEIR ENTIRE HEIGHT BY THE SIDES OF THE WINDOWS AND THE VERTICAL CHOCKS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE SURFACES OF THE SLOTS AND IN THE SECOND ARRANGEMENT AT LEAST ONE OF THE HORIZONTAL ROLL CHOCKS IS PART SUPPORTED ADJACENT THE PASS LINE BY FILLER MEANS LOCATED IN THE SLOTS AND HAVING THEIR INNER SURFACES ALIGNED WITH THE SIDES OF THE WINDOWS. 